15 - Sauna in Finland
WHAT ABOUT SAUNA ? As soon as I arrived in Finland, I began to hear the praises of the sauna: the Finns all assured me that this was absolutely the best possible health care. The Finnish sauna, in Finnish "Suomalainen sauna", is a very important part of Finnish culture. It is a place that is usually heated to about 80-110° C for sweating, relaxing and washing. It is based on steam produced by throwing water on hot stones. It is estimated that up to 99% of Finns regularly use the sauna. Its origins are thought to date back to the Bronze Age, between 1500 and 900 BC. Finland has five million inhabitants and more than three million saunas, an average of one per household. Indeed, a law in Finland states that every dwelling must have a sauna that it can use on a regular basis. For Finns, the sauna is a place for friends and family to relax, as well as a place for physical and mental relaxation. Finns consider saunas not as a luxury, but as a necessity. Before the advent of pu